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Hindu deities

This article is about deities in Hinduism. For Hindu views on God, see God in Hinduism. For the Hindu concept of God, see Ishvara and Bhagavan.

Examples of Hindu deities (from top): Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.
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Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. Deities in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions, and a Hindu can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, even agnostic, atheistic, or humanist.[1][2][3] The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati.[4][5][note 1]

The deities of Hinduism have evolved from the Vedic era (2nd millennium BCE) through the medieval era (1st millennium CE), regionally within Nepal, Pakistan, India and in Southeast Asia, and across Hinduism's diverse traditions.[6][7] The Hindu deity concept varies from a personal god as in Yoga school of Hindu philosophy,[8][9] to thirty-three major deities in the Vedas,[10] to hundreds of deities mentioned in the Puranas of Hinduism.[11] Illustrations of major deities include Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva, Parvati, Brahma and Saraswati. These deities have distinct and complex personalities, yet are often viewed as aspects of the same Ultimate Reality called Brahman.[12][note 2] From ancient times, the idea of equivalence has been cherished for all Hindus, in its texts and in early 1st-millennium sculpture with concepts such as Harihara (Half Vishnu, Half Shiva)[13] and Ardhanārīshvara (half Shiva, half Parvati),[14] with myths and temples that feature them together, declaring they are the same.[15][16][17] Major deities have inspired their own Hindu traditions, such as Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism, but with shared mythology, ritual grammar, theosophy, axiology and polycentrism.[18][19][20] Some Hindu traditions, such as Smartism from the mid 1st millennium CE, have included multiple major deities as henotheistic manifestations of Saguna Brahman, and as a means to realizing Nirguna Brahman.[21][22][23] In Samkhya philosophy, Devata or deities are considered as "natural sources of energy" who have Sattva as the dominant Guna.[24]

Hindu deities are represented with various icons and anicons in sculptures and paintings, called Murtis and Pratimas.[25][26][27] Some Hindu traditions, such as ancient Charvakas, rejected all deities and concept of god or goddess,[28][29][30] while 19th-century British colonial era movements such as the Arya Samaj and Brahmo Samaj rejected deities and adopted monotheistic concepts similar to Abrahamic religions.[31][32] Hindu deities have been adopted in other religions such as Jainism,[33] and in regions outside India, such as predominantly Buddhist Thailand and Japan, where they continue to be revered in regional temples or arts.[34][35][36]

In ancient and medieval era texts of Hinduism, the human body is described as a temple,[37][38] and deities are described to be parts residing within it,[39][40] while the Brahman (Absolute Reality, God)[21][41] is described to be the same, or of similar nature, as the Atman (Self), which Hindus believe is eternal and within every living being.[42][43][44]

  1. ^ Julius J. Lipner (2009), Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, 2nd edition, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-45677-7, p. 8; Quote: "(...) one need not be religious in the minimal sense described to be accepted as a Hindu by Hindus, or describe oneself perfectly validly as Hindu. One may be polytheistic or monotheistic, monistic or pantheistic, even an agnostic, humanist or atheist, and still be considered a Hindu."
  2. ^ Lester Kurtz (ed.), Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict, ISBN 978-0123695031, Academic Press, 2008
  3. ^ M. K. Gandhi, The Essence of Hindu, Editor: V. B. Kher, Navajivan Publishing, see p. 3; According to Gandhi, "a man may not believe in God and still call himself a Hindu."
  4. ^ Radhakrishnan and Moore (1967, Reprinted 1989), A Source Book in Indian Philosophy, Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0691019581, pp. 37-39, 401-403, 498-503
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference mirceaelaide73 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Nicholas Gier (2000), Spiritual Titanism: Indian, Chinese, and Western Perspectives, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791445280, pp. 59-76
  7. ^ Jeaneane D. Fowler (2012), The Bhagavad Gita, Sussex Academic Press, ISBN 978-1845193461, pp. 253-262
  8. ^ Renou 1964, p. 55
  9. ^ Mike Burley (2012), Classical Samkhya and Yoga - An Indian Metaphysics of Experience, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415648875, pp. 39-41;
    Lloyd Pflueger, Person Purity and Power in Yogasutra, in Theory and Practice of Yoga (Editor: Knut Jacobsen), Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120832329, pp. 38-39;
    Kovoor T. Behanan (2002), Yoga: Its Scientific Basis, Dover, ISBN 978-0486417929, pp. 56-58
  10. ^ Scarborough, Jack (2000). The Origins of Cultural Differences and Their Impact on Management. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-56720-439-1.
  11. ^ Sanjukta Gupta (2013), Lakṣmī Tantra: A Pāñcarātra Text, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120817357, p. 166
  12. ^ Knut Jacobsen (2008), Theory and Practice of Yoga : 'Essays in Honour of Gerald James Larson, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120832329, pp. 77-78
  13. ^ David Leeming (2001), A Dictionary of Asian Mythology, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195120530, p. 67
  14. ^ Ellen Goldberg (2002), The Lord who is half woman: Ardhanārīśvara in Indian and feminist perspective, State University of New York Press, ISBN 0-791453251, pp. 1–4
  15. ^ TA Gopinatha Rao (1993), Elements of Hindu Iconography, Vol. 2, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120808775, pp. 334-335
  16. ^ Fred Kleiner (2012), Gardner's Art through the Ages: A Global History, Cengage, ISBN 978-0495915423, pp. 443-444
  17. ^ Cynthia Packert Atherton (1997), The Sculpture of Early Medieval Rajasthan, Brill, ISBN 978-9004107892, pp. 42-46
  18. ^ Lance Nelson (2007), An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies (Editors: Orlando O. Espín, James B. Nickoloff), Liturgical Press, ISBN 978-0814658567, pp. 562-563
  19. ^ Julius J. Lipner (2009), Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, 2nd Edition, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-45677-7, pp. 371-375
  20. ^ Frazier, Jessica (2011). The Continuum Companion to Hindu Studies. London: Continuum. pp. 1–15. ISBN 978-0-8264-9966-0.
  21. ^ a b For dualism school of Hinduism, see: Francis X. Clooney (2010), Hindu God, Christian God: How Reason Helps Break Down the Boundaries between Religions, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199738724, pp. 51-58, 111-115;
    For monist school of Hinduism, see: B. Martinez-Bedard (2006), Types of Causes in Aristotle and Sankara, Thesis - Department of Religious Studies (Advisors: Kathryn McClymond and Sandra Dwyer), Georgia State University, pp. 18-35
  22. ^ Michael Myers (2000), Brahman: A Comparative Theology, Routledge, ISBN 978-0700712571, pp. 124-127
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference tompad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Sharma 1990, p. 17.
  25. ^ Klaus Klostermaier (2010), A Survey of Hinduism, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791470824, pp. 264-267
  26. ^ "pratima (Hinduism)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  27. ^ PK Acharya, An Encyclopedia of Hindu Architecture, Oxford University Press, p. 426
  28. ^ V. V. Raman (2012), Hinduism and Science: Some Reflections, Zygon - Journal of Religion and Science, 47(3): 549–574, Quote (p. 557): "Aside from nontheistic schools like the Samkhya, there have also been explicitly atheistic schools in the Hindu tradition. One virulently anti-supernatural system is/was the so-called Charvaka school."
  29. ^ John Clayton (2010), Religions, Reasons and Gods: Essays in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Religion, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0521126274, p. 150
  30. ^ A Goel (1984), Indian philosophy: Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika and modern science, Sterling, ISBN 978-0865902787, pages 149-151;
    R. Collins (2000), The Sociology of Philosophies, Harvard University Press, ISBN 978-0674001879, p. 836
  31. ^ Naidoo, Thillayvel (1982). The Arya Samaj Movement in South Africa. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 158. ISBN 81-208-0769-3.
  32. ^ Glyn Richards (1990), The World's Religions: The Religions of Asia (Editor: Friedhelm Hardy), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415058155, pp. 173-176
  33. ^ John E. Cort (1998), Open Boundaries: Jain Communities and Cultures in Indian History, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791437865, pp. 218-220
  34. ^ Cite error: The named reference hajime26 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  35. ^ Ellen London (2008), Thailand Condensed: 2,000 Years of History & Culture, Marshall Cavendish, ISBN 978-9812615206, p. 74
  36. ^ Trudy Ring et al. (1996), International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania, Routledge, ISBN 978-1884964046, p. 692
  37. ^ Jean Holm and John Bowker (1998), Sacred Place, Bloomsbury Academic, ISBN 978-0826453037, pp. 76-78
  38. ^ Michael Coogan (2003), The Illustrated Guide to World Religions, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195219975, p. 149
  39. ^ Alain Daniélou (2001), The Hindu Temple: Deification of Eroticism, ISBN 978-0892818549, pp. 82-83
  40. ^ Patrick Olivelle (1992), ;;The Samnyasa Upanisads, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195070453, pp. 147-148 with footnotes 2 and 5
  41. ^ Brodd, Jeffrey (2003). World Religions. Winona, MN: Saint Mary's Press. ISBN 978-0-88489-725-5.
  42. ^ Monier-Williams 1974, pp. 20–37
  43. ^ Cite error: The named reference jkoller was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  44. ^ R Prasad (2009), A Historical-developmental Study of Classical Indian Philosophy of Morals, Concept Publishing, ISBN 978-8180695957, pp. 345-347


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